Thato Pule
SRC Chair: Transformation and Social Responsiveness

Decolonisation is a tool for transformation. It must start with curriculum change because the curriculum is the centre of knowledge; and as we all know, with knowledge comes power. A changed curriculum must be based on critical enquiry. We shouldn't be told what to do or think. We should come here to critically analyse the theory we get.

An integral part to changing the Eurocentric narrative in academia is to create universities that respond directly to societal needs. This is where we can look at UCT and ask, 'Does UCT respond to the needs of Khayelitsha', or 'Does UCT respond to the need for black actuaries?' By positioning the university as a nucleus where decolonisation begins through curriculum change, we can start engaging with the bigger picture of decolonising the entire country.

If decolonisation is on the national agenda, there shouldn't be any politics around it. We shouldn't be afraid to lose anything. We should be willing to give up everything and reconstruct South Africa and Africa on the basis of values African people have exhibited in the past. These values have been erased by a history that has been dictated to us through curriculum and the media.

Read more stories from the May 2015 edition.